


The Fine Lines Crossed in Dealing with Entities Beyond

by RegalMisfortune



Series: The World is Painted in Hymns from Lips of Mere Strangers [4]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Demon Summoning, Magic, Magic is Dangerous and Rasmodius Learns the Hard Way, Not based off of any chapter so this can be a stand-alone piece, Nothing actually happens but it's not good either, Other, Yeah we're gonna tag that, Yeeeah this is definitely a different tone than what I usually write, ish?, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 06:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12337296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalMisfortune/pseuds/RegalMisfortune
Summary: Rasmodius knows magic is a dangerous thing. Summoning creatures from beyond the threshold of this dimension was always a risk, and a simple mistake could lead to dire consequences.Unfortunately, Rasmodius had gotten too complacent and dependent on his own security measures to realize that they were not, in fact, infallible.





	The Fine Lines Crossed in Dealing with Entities Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I am admitting up front, this isn't usually my cup of tea. However I've been plagued with ideas especially with Halloween events cropping up, so I got stuck in these darker themes. Nothing graphic happens but it is still not nice either, so be warned while reading this. 
> 
> If you have any questions or requests, feel free to talk to me on my [tumblr!](http://regalmisfortune.tumblr.com/)

Magic was dangerous.

Rasmodius knew this from the moment he knew that he could tap into it, that without diligence or control it could and would become a wild, destructive force of nature. He learned that things born with and from magic were to be both respected and feared, that some did not appreciate being Seen or summoned. He delved into the study of their languages, these mythical creatures and living elements that dwelt between reality and the dimensions beyond just so that he could learn more. A willing specimen was better than one that was angry- even the more temperamental ones, and ones that regaled their knowledge to him rather than scream with otherworldly cacophony became polite company.

Magic was walking a fine line between shoulds and shouldn’ts, balancing the multitude of unwritten laws and carefully-crafted orders that kept the very being of existence from collapsing around their ears. No one else but those who brushed against the subtle threads of reality knew anything about it, living on in blissful ignorance that their entire worlds could change in a blink, an instance, by the mere chance of a leaf falling or an insect hitting a windshield. Not all things should be summoned- not every branch and theory should be looked into. One wrong move and reality could collapse, a summoning could turn into an explosion, or, nothing happened at all.

Rasmodius had been especially careful as he drew in the finishing touches on a summoning circle, drawn out in raw chalk on polished basalt. No stray hair could be present, no grain of sand. Summoning anything from the planes was a risk, even ones who welcomed being Called, but Rasmodius had years of practice to learn safeguards and wards to keep whatever it was that was being herald into this dimension from escaping or causing harm. He had studied the Calling word for word, memorized each and every pronunciation so that he would get exactly what he wanted.

What his foresight could not predict was a Junimo causing an entire stack of books to fall off an upper shelf right behind him, causing papers to fly out in all directions in the swirl of power that had wrapped around him and cause him to slip into almost swearing mid-word.

“ _Utu!_ ” he hissed as the flare of magic died down, a signal that that summoning failed with little fanfare, snapping his head around to glare at the bright yellow spirit which had the Junimo version of a child being caught with their hand in a cookie jar expression on its tiny face. “What have I told you about-“

The words became lost in his throat as he felt the magic in the air surge around and threw in a way that he had never felt before, wasn’t supposed to happen after the summoning ended. It was like someone opened the door in the middle of the winter, sucking out all the warm air. Power prickle against his skin, a creeping, chilling sensation that left something dangerously icy in his heart as the room darkened. Both he and the Junimo turned their attention to the runes on the floor, the white chalk patterns now glowing with a purple so deep it was almost black.

The whole room sunk into an eerie darkness, as the symbols blinked out with the suddenness of a blown light bulb. Rasmodius couldn’t hear the wind outside, the birds outside his window, barely even his own heart despite sensing it thrum against his chest. This... wasn’t supposed to happen. It felt _wrong_ , otherworldly in the worst of ways, like something that should have been left alone and forgotten.

Out of the gloom a hint of the same near-black purple peered out, four blinking eyes with pinpricks of empty white of pupils rolling inconsistently before fixating on the wizard below.

Rasmodius could _feel_ the smugness growing on the being’s face without having to see it, a deep, rumbling purr of a chuckle sending goosebumps up his arms and a shudder up his spine. This wasn’t _right_ every fiber of his being screamed _._

“Well well, what do we have here?”

The voice was masculine, unearthly smooth like personified black ice. It was _unnatural_ , and even the magic in Rasmodius’ veins was urging at him at how much danger he was in now that he got whatever this _thing_ was attention entirely on him.

Still, Rasmodius swallowed, opening his mouth to speak in a command.

“I did not call you, strange one. I demand of you to return back from whence you came.”

Short and to the point- just how Dismissals should be. This was not the first time he had accidentally called upon the wrong creature, not the first time he called upon a creature that was more than morally questionable. Rasmodius was so used to the oddities that were creatures beyond human constraints that he barely batted an eyelash. But because of this, several of the wards tethered to any summoning were keyed to his words and actions, both to keep the creature inside and to send them away if they didn’t leave on their own.

Yet one of the failsafes of his circle that he had years to perfect didn’t work at all, the phrase he uttered failing to force the thing back from whatever dimension it hailed from. Nothing _happened_ , other than that the eerie creature in the darkness laughed, sending dread up his spine and causing him to take a subtle step back before he could steel himself.

“You _demand_ of me?” it inquired, its voice laced with dripping amusement. It was then that Rasmodius realized that _all_ the failsafes and wards were broken or otherwise rendered ineffective against this particular entity as he felt something coil about his ankles, neither warm nor cold but strangely amorphous like an elongated slime ball.

It was all the warning he got before he was lifted off his feet, the wind knocked out of him as he was unceremoniously slammed to the floor. The eyes were right above him now, lighting up enough to make out the outlines of cheekbones and trailing coiled strands of darkness that could have been hair if the creature wasn’t permeating it. A heavy, large weight pressed down on him, making it hard for him to get air back into his lungs and his arms trapped to his sides.

“ _Cute,_ ” it breathed out, its breath warm but scentless as something he could only assume were fingers with talon-like nails stroking down the side of his cheek, the tip digging into his skin to cut a thin line without care. “Thinking you can send me away so _soon_ after making your acquaintance. I’m hurt.”

Rasmodius jerked his head away, an unfamiliar sense of panic settling in his chest. Even the more physically demanding spirits and entities weren’t like this. Demanding, yes, perhaps even needy, but never were they so violently forceful and unnerving. Every inch of him was telling him _Danger!,_ and yet, as he desperately tried to summon some magic out of the sudden absence of it, the only thing he could feel gripping his heart was pure _fear_ as this entity easily overpowered him.

Sharp edges dug into his chin, forcing his head around to stare into the four glinting eyes that bore down above him. It was having too much fun, its eyes squinting slightly as it peered at him with mirth.

“It has been so _long_ since I’ve had any sort of company. Not even a card or a whispered call. It was so _nice_ of you to invite me in. How could I ever refuse?”

There was something running over his skin, creeping up the sleeves of his tunic and brushing over the curvature of his throat. Rasmodius felt himself swallow as the being leaned closer, humming lowly in its throat as it let out a breath against the side of his neck.

This was horrifyingly, terrifyingly _wrong_.

In a burst of panic-fueled energy, Rasmodius wrenched a hand free, the darkness giving way under the orange glow of flames that licked against his fingertips as he drew all the power he could muster into his hand. He shoved his hand as hard as he could into the general direction of the creature’s head, smacking against something solid enough that the weight shifted, freeing his legs as he scrambled backwards in a blind grab for freedom.

But the darkness rushed back towards him as an unforgiving wave, tendrils and claws wrapping around his ankles before he could draw enough power to teleport, the magic trapped inside his veins and letting it smolder like coals of a dying fire. A large, dark hand with long fingers and sharpened nails reached out towards the flames still in his hand, and in an instant, snuffed it out as easily as one would distinguish a candle.

“Now now,” the creature said, its voice thick with amusement, not even perturbed or angry at the backlash. If anything it sounded _excited_ as sharpened points pressed against his throat, something wet trickling down his skin and onto the floor from under the stinging cuts dug into his skin while the weight returned to crush his chest to the floor, keeping the wizard from gaining a solid gasp of air. “Who said you could leave?”

The tendrils were coiling around his legs, tugging hungrily at his clothes as the creature pressed its face against the side of his neck and breathed in, the sound a hollow echo in a chasm that led into the forgotten depths of the underworld. His magic was smoldering just beneath his skin, he couldn’t breathe, and the creature’s fingers were tugging the hem of his tunic up higher to run the very tips of its sharp claws across his skin in a tickling tease that made him shudder and struggle in renewed panic while his lungs begged for air.

It was at that moment that something fell just inches from his head, hitting the floor with a sound of tinkering glass, the sharp scent of spilt ink filling his nose and soaking into his hair. He was near a wall, he realized, as the deep purple eyes and pinpricks of white pupils lazily rolled upward one at a time to look.

There was a familiar warble from above, and then, one rune at a time, a sequence lit up under him from an incomplete ward he had been tinkering with, the dangerous, poisonous green lighting up as the ink slid across the floor over the blood that dripped down his throat and coiled into a pattern he’d never seen before as it completed the circle under and around him. The magic in his veins suddenly _boiled_ , his vision turned white hot as the sequence activated itself-

The next thing he knew, the air was pungent with the smell of scorched metal, thick on his tongue and in his lungs as Rasmodius gasped like a drowning man just breaking the surface. Every muscle trembled and nerves burnt-out, and he wasn’t sure if he had _any_ limbs left at all as he struggled to get air into his chest.

“ _Breathe.”_

The voice above him was vaguely feminine, full of sharp edges and threat. It was a relief in his ears, compared to the eerily _silky_ tone that the other being had spoken in. It rooted the wizard to reality, sucking in deep breaths to cool the sharp pain in his chest and lungs as he collapsed back to the floor, limbs twitched and jerked involuntarily with every beat of his frantic heart.

Rasmodius could feel the new entity kneel down by his head rather than hear or see it, unable to find enough control over his body to open his eyes while struggling to keep his consciousness from giving out on him.

“You stupid, foolish, idiotic _mageling_ ,” it- she?- hissed at him, its tone quiet with fury. “Do you ever _think_ before you go summoning things you cannot even _begin_ to understand? No, of course you don’t. I will not even bother to point out how _catastrophic_ your moronic sense of curiosity could have caused. If you even _get_ the inkling of trying to pull a stunt like _that_ again, I will _personally_ tear each and every organ out of your cavity while your heart still beats and crack your ribs for marrow before your eyes.”

Rasmodius didn’t hear most of the being’s ranting, feeling his grip on his consciousness failing him despite his struggle. He did manage to hear a soft huff, foreign fingers threading through his ink-soddened hair as even tinier hands patted against his cheek, a worried burble near his ear just before the blackness claimed him.

_“You are lucky you have friends in high places, Mercutio.”_


End file.
